Kids, coach and a long ride

Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
ayndim

ayndim

Train Attendant
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Messages
37
Location
Arizona
We live in Arizona and are planning to go to New York in December to visit my brother. I found cheap plane ticktes on Southwest ($900 roundtrip for 4). My kids however want to go on the train. They know I love it so they are hitting on a soft spot. The price isn't that much different from the air travel if we travel in coach. Of course, I would love to have sleepers but that isn't going to happen. The train would be allow us to spend time as a family, to go right after Christmas, be in NYC for New Year's Eve and earn points. If we fly we have to go in early December to get the good deal and I hate the hassle of flying, especially the body scan. My kids are 11, 9 and 7. Would anyone else be brave enough to take 3 kids for 50 hours on a train in coach? We are going from Flagstaff to New York, with a 5 hour stop in Chicago. I thought I could rent a hotel to shower there. Any advice/suggestions would be appreciated.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Welcome! :) I did some test bookings and found a fare for 2 adults/3 kids for $689.00 from Flagstaff-NYP on the 28th of December in Coach. When you figure in food for 3 days/3 nights for a family figure another $300 which gets you close to $1,000! :eek: This is during the Holidays so the trains will be crowded and at their most expensive (called High Bucket)! I dont want to discourage you but if you booked the family room, which would hold 2 adults and 2 kids and include meals, it would be another $1,000 so the plane fare doesnt seem so bad in this instance!(and I dislike flying hugely but SWA is better than the rest!)

Id suggest trying a shorter trip first, perhaps ride to Albuqurque or even Kansas City, spend the night and return! :cool: This will let yall know what a LD train trip is like, would be more affordable and seems like a win/win type situation in this case! If you have quyestions or comments, please feel free to ask, lots of great info and expertise here! ;)
 
Maybe you guys should fly to Chicago and then travel by train, or is that just a waste of time? its only 98 dollars per person on coach, no matter what train you ride. i would personally avoid Lake shore limited though.
 
ayndim said:
If we fly we have to go in early December to get the good deal and I hate the hassle of flying, especially the body scan. My kids are 11, 9 and 7. Would anyone else be brave enough to take 3 kids for 50 hours on a train in coach? We are going from Flagstaff to New York, with a 5 hour stop in Chicago. I thought I could rent a hotel to shower there. Any advice/suggestions would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Flagstaff is my old hometown and was my first departure point on any Amtrak train. I think a ride on the train could be great with young kids, but maybe not a trip this long. I could see the kids going from excited to frustrated being couped up on the train for so long. What about scheduling a longer stay in Chicago to help break up the monotony? If that's not possible you might want to try bidding on your preferred flight dates through Priceline. I recently bought some tickets three days out for $200 round trip when the next best rate on any other website was double or triple that. Priceline probably won't be able to offer cheap flights out of Flagstaff but it should be possible to find good rates out of Phoenix.
 
daxomni said:
ayndim said:
If we fly we have to go in early December to get the good deal and I hate the hassle of flying, especially the body scan. My kids are 11, 9 and 7. Would anyone else be brave enough to take 3 kids for 50 hours on a train in coach? We are going from Flagstaff to New York, with a 5 hour stop in Chicago. I thought I could rent a hotel to shower there. Any advice/suggestions would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Flagstaff is my old hometown and was my first departure point on any Amtrak train. I think a ride on the train could be great with young kids, but maybe not a trip this long. I could see the kids going from excited to frustrated being couped up on the train for so long. What about scheduling a longer stay in Chicago to help break up the monotony? If that's not possible you might want to try bidding on your preferred flight dates through Priceline. I recently bought some tickets three days out for $200 round trip when the next best rate on any other website was double or triple that. Priceline probably won't be able to offer cheap flights out of Flagstaff but it should be possible to find good rates out of Phoenix.
Click to expand...
I actually live in Surprise, so I would fly out of Phoenix. I found tickets for 180 roundtrip on SW. As for the train, I do like the idea of staying in Chicago longer. It might just make it possible. One of the pros of the train trip was the layover in Chicago. I went to boot camp in Great Lakes, so it would be fun to show the kids the old hangouts. My older kids are big readers, so if I load their nooks up with books the older two would probably be fine. Its my youngest that concerns me the most. He doesn't have a nook (the other two got theirs as gifts) but a maybe I can bring his DS. He would probably be so excited Mom isn't enforcing the time limit it might be doable with the stop in Chicago.
 
There were several kids traveling in coach on our long distance trip last summer. They seemed to be having a great time and certainly weren't bored. It seems that most of the kids, whether from coach or sleepers, hung out in the lounge car most of the time. Total strangers became instant "new best friends". They played UNO for hours, traded nintendo games back and forth, took pictures with simple digital cameras their parents had given them for the trip, bought and shared snacks from the snack bar. With one horrible exception, they were all happy and well behaved.
 
Trainmans daughter said:
There were several kids traveling in coach on our long distance trip last summer. They seemed to be having a great time and certainly weren't bored. It seems that most of the kids, whether from coach or sleepers, hung out in the lounge car most of the time. Total strangers became instant "new best friends". They played UNO for hours, traded nintendo games back and forth, took pictures with simple digital cameras their parents had given them for the trip, bought and shared snacks from the snack bar. With one horrible exception, they were all happy and well behaved.
Click to expand...
Thank you. It makes me feel a little more confident in taking them. They so badly want to take the train.
 
ayndim said:
Thank you. It makes me feel a little more confident in taking them. They so badly want to take the train.
Click to expand...
If they really want to take the train, a good attitude will make things a LOT easier.
 
Hi,

My perception of coach travel, after many thousands of Amtrak miles, is that the long distance trains become a sort of travelling "village". People get to know their neighbours, you can get up and walk around, visit the last coach and peer out at the tracks from an engineers perspective. It seems to me that your kids will remember such a xmas train trip more than a flight, in years to come..

The coach seats are massive, so the youngsters can turn theirs into a mobile "tree camp"!

My son was 11 when we first toured America by train.. he came with me again a few months ago, aged almost 17 and we went from Chicago to Sacramento, and then on to Las Vegas, and back.

Start them young!

Cheers,

Eddie :cool:

ps I think you would be hard pressed to spend $300 on train food.. you can bring lots of cheaper snacks and drinks aboard with you..
 
Last edited by a moderator:
My suggestion is to go onboard and ask if there is anything available in the sleepers. If there is you will pay the low bucket price (lowest price available? Try for the family bedroom as there is enough room for two adults and two young children. The 7 yr old may be able to sleep with one of the adults but it will be a bit tight and I'm not sure that they would allow it. Perhaps sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag for the youngest? I would recommend against going on a three day train ride in coach with children. You will need a sleeper(s)to keep your sanity.
 
Go for it.

Kids are usually more flexible than adults. If you have a positive attitude about it, they most likely will too. Don't give anyone else a chance to fill them up withnegative ideas.

Have games, books, some route information, etc. You know their interests (or should), so plan wasy to have things that meet those interests.

I worked overseas for quite a few years, and heard a lot of people go on about how their kids did not like such and such. Generally, if you got the kid away from a negative parent, teh picture would be quite different.
 
I'd get a sleeper. This sounds like an "event" kind of trip, so why cheap out? The included meals for a large party take a lot of the sting out of the cost, and it is a lot more comfortable. Just a suggestion!
 
Thanks all for the advice. I ended up booking the sleeper from Flagstaff to Chicago and on the return from Chicago to Flagstaff. To book the sleeper for the entire trip would have been over $3000! I figured the kids could ride in coach from the Chicago to NYC route. When I look at the time they are actually awake in coach I am only looking at about 8 or 9 hours, depending when they wake up.

Andrea
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ayndim said:
Thanks all for the advice. I ended up booking the sleeper from Flagstaff to Chicago and on the return from Chicago to Flagstaff. To book the sleeper for the entire trip would have been over $3000! I figured the kids could ride in coach from the Chicago to NYC route. When I look at the time they are actually awake in coach I am only looking at about 8 or 9 hours, depending when they wake up.

Andrea
Click to expand...
That's a great idea, Andrea!
biggrin.gif
In fact, that's just what I was going to post!

Because you will be arriving into Chicago (on the way east) and departing from Chicago (on the way west) in a sleeper, you are also entitled to use the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago!
cool.gif
It is a nice place to wait, away from all the rushing of the "regular" waiting area. It also has a baggage room (manned by a Red Cap), so you can leave your carry-on bags there - and not have to drag them around Chicago! It also has a TV, computer, some snacks and soft drinks - all for FREE!

There are also shops in Union Station, and a CVS and Walgreens within a block of Union Station, to buy snacks for your next ride!

I also suggest that you join Amtrak Guest Rewards (AGR) - each of you! AGR is similar to an airlines frequent flyer program - with one BIG exception! You can redeem for FREE trips on Amtrak - and if there is a seat or room available on the train, you get it for the same amount of points!
cool.gif
(No double or triple the points needed!)

If you would like a referral to join, I would be glad to refer you. Just send me a PM (Private Message) with your email addresses (each account needs their own email address) WITHIN 90 DAYS OF YOUR TRAVEL! (There is a sign-up bonus - but you MUST travel within 90 days of signing up to receive it!)
 
Be sure to sign up the kiddos, too, using the referral system. I was able to redeem 2,000 points for a KCY-STL trip recently, after only 2 short previous trips for my kids & sister.
 
the_traveler said:
ayndim said:
Thanks all for the advice. I ended up booking the sleeper from Flagstaff to Chicago and on the return from Chicago to Flagstaff. To book the sleeper for the entire trip would have been over $3000! I figured the kids could ride in coach from the Chicago to NYC route. When I look at the time they are actually awake in coach I am only looking at about 8 or 9 hours, depending when they wake up.

Andrea
Click to expand...
That's a great idea, Andrea!
biggrin.gif
In fact, that's just what I was going to post!

Because you will be arriving into Chicago (on the way east) and departing from Chicago (on the way west) in a sleeper, you are also entitled to use the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago!
cool.gif
It is a nice place to wait, away from all the rushing of the "regular" waiting area. It also has a baggage room (manned by a Red Cap), so you can leave your carry-on bags there - and not have to drag them around Chicago! It also has a TV, computer, some snacks and soft drinks - all for FREE!

There are also shops in Union Station, and a CVS and Walgreens within a block of Union Station, to buy snacks for your next ride!

I also suggest that you join Amtrak Guest Rewards (AGR) - each of you! AGR is similar to an airlines frequent flyer program - with one BIG exception! You can redeem for FREE trips on Amtrak - and if there is a seat or room available on the train, you get it for the same amount of points!
cool.gif
(No double or triple the points needed!)

If you would like a referral to join, I would be glad to refer you. Just send me a PM (Private Message) with your email addresses (each account needs their own email address) WITHIN 90 DAYS OF YOUR TRAVEL! (There is a sign-up bonus - but you MUST travel within 90 days of signing up to receive it!)
Click to expand...
I am already a member from my other trip to New Orleans, otherwise I would do it. I did score triple points for that one, though. We gotta get these points when we can, lol. I'm keep trying to get my friend to take the train instead of the bus to LA, so I can get her as a referal. I even offered to drive her to Maricopa.

Thanks for the info about storing the bags in Chicago. I had a picture of lugging them around Chicago.

My kids are the only ones who have never been on a "real" train. They don't think Grand Canyon or Canyon Verde count as real train trips.

Andrea
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Andrea,

The Metropolitan lounge is located on the lower level of Union Station, which is also the track level. If you are standing in front of the Amtrak ticket windows and facing them, then the Amtrak waiting area is to your left. Coming from the train you'll want to make your first right after leaving the controlled area and then another right to get to the Amtrak waiting area.

When you enter the main Amtrak waiting area through a sliding glass door, just walk forward and slightly to the left. There should be another sliding glass door along with a sign for the lounge. Just show your tickets/ticket stubs and relax.

They'll also give you a card that contains the time that you need to return to the lounge by, in order to board the train and not miss it. If you do leave the lounge, take this card with you as it is also your pass for reentering the lounge. Just wave it at the attendants as you walk in and one will usually look up and acknowledge you and the card. Note the Chicago lounge can be very busy and it sometimes can be hard to get a seat, but you still get the free stuff and priority boarding.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ayndim said:
My kids are the only ones who have never been on a "real" train. They don't think Grand Canyon or Canyon Verde count as real train trips.
Click to expand...
Neither do I!
tongue.gif
I'll take Amtrak over either one of those any day! (Although GCRR has a great sight at the end, and CVRR is scenic throughout. I used to live in AZ and have taken both.)
 
caravanman said:
Hi,

My perception of coach travel, after many thousands of Amtrak miles, is that the long distance trains become a sort of travelling "village". People get to know their neighbours, you can get up and walk around, visit the last coach and peer out at the tracks from an engineers perspective. It seems to me that your kids will remember such a xmas train trip more than a flight, in years to come..

The coach seats are massive, so the youngsters can turn theirs into a mobile "tree camp"!

My son was 11 when we first toured America by train.. he came with me again a few months ago, aged almost 17 and we went from Chicago to Sacramento, and then on to Las Vegas, and back.

Start them young!

Cheers,

Eddie :cool:

ps I think you would be hard pressed to spend $300 on train food.. you can bring lots of cheaper snacks and drinks aboard with you..
Click to expand...
I agree with Eddie's. Your kids will have fun, see a lot, and meet lots of people. They will like the coach seats, snacks, walking between the cars, looking out the windows,and won't be bored.
 
It's all in attitude. We took our grandkids from New Orleans to Philadelphia back in 2007. Ages from 15, 13, 9 year old twins, and a 5 year old girl. We took coach, because of price, 3 adults and 5 kids that would have been way too pricey. And we took everything to entertain them - lots of snacks, gameboys, and books. The 3 youngest were railfans from birth.

We left New Orleans on time, everything was fine. By the time we arrived in Slidell, the first stop, the big ones were bored. Their attitude quickly rubbed off, first the father took an attitude because of the person that sat in front of him, and the little ones caught it. By the time we reached Laurel, MS, our next stop, I was ready to get off the train (and I'm a dedicated die-hard life long railfan)

Keep a close rein on attitude, as soon as you see it eroding, do something to make it positive. Engage one of the train crew in conversation with the kids. Talk to them about the train, learn yourself, maybe bring a scanner with you.

Take the train, enjoy the trip, make it fun.

Donna n Paul
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top